As the economy continues its slow recovery, companies are starting to hire again. Naturally, there is a need to discover talented candidates that can fill newly-created positions. One of the standard ways to accomplish this goal is to build and maintain a candidate pipeline. However, these pipes can leak severely if care is not taken to keep the best candidates there. Theoretically, the pipeline is filled with people who are currently employed and not actively seeking a career change. In practice, the mere suggestion of a new position can get a candidate thinking about a move even if they are happy where they are.

It is important to be up front with the candidate, and let them know exactly what you’re doing. This establishes trust and prevents a backlash from candidates who thought they were responding to a currently available position. It is the opposite of the sales technique of emphasizing urgency. Here, the candidate should be assured that they are only prospecting at the moment and not making an immediate change. However, you cannot become complacent!

Take the time to contact your candidates on a regular basis. And time is the element. You have to devote the time to reach the candidates, and if you wait too long between contacts, the candidate may lose interest or find another job. Thus, one must not keep too many candidates in the pipeline or the success rate may plummet. And while they’re in the pipeline, take the necessary steps to pre-screen them so that when a position comes open, the hiring process can move forward quickly and efficiently.

So, how to keep the pipeline flowing and minimize leaks? Use that sense of urgency that you held back from the candidate and apply it to the hiring manager. It is easy for hiring managers to be complacent in this economy, but they need to know that candidates in the pipeline will not stay there forever, and when qualified candidates are found, it is important to take action to bring these people onboard. Of course, agency recruiters have an extra avenue to pursue: a candidate growing impatient with one company’s slow hiring process can be offered to another company that moves expediently.

Like any “tried-and-true” method, the candidate pipeline has its benefits and flaws. Yet, with the proper care in maintaining the pipeline and moving forward with the right candidates, it can be a time-saver and efficient recruiting tool.  Happy hunting! -Thomas Cunniffe

Whether we admit it or not, recruiting is a sales job, and many of the techniques that make a successful salesperson are identical with those that make a successful recruiter. One of my earliest sales coaches passed on her mantra to me and I’ve used it ever since: Objections are buying signs. She elaborated that even with the hoariest of all objections (the dreaded “I’m not interested”), if they are still on the phone, they are still willing to talk. By engaging the other person in a directed conversation, and answering their objections in a thoughtful concise way, the salesperson can convince their target to consider the proposition being offered. Here are a few tips on how to get a potential candidate to listen to your offer.

An immediate “I’m not interested” or “you’re the fifth recruiter to call me today” can shut down a conversation before it even starts. Some recruiters just ignore these early objections and move on with their pitch, while others respond with a quick witty remark or ask permission to tell about their position before the potential candidate makes a decision. Your personality has to be a big part of your approach on the phone, so use what works best for you, and be willing to adapt your approach to the candidate’s reactions.

Now give a brief synopsis of the job you’re offering, but don’t mention the compensation. Next, ask them about their job history and their salary. You’ll need to know their salary, or at the very least, their salary expectations before telling them the compensation for the position you’re offering. Otherwise, you won’t know if the position you have will fit their financial needs. If the salary is lower than what the potential candidate currently makes, ask them a few probing questions about their previous employers to see if their contentment at a job is centered only on money, or by other factors. Also, try to compare benefits, commissions, bonuses and the like to get a realistic take on the total compensation package.

If the compensation question doesn’t come up right away, ask about the potential candidate’s personal career goals, and determine whether their current job fits those objectives. Depending on their age and career level, time may be the best argument for changing positions. If they want to move up in the world, they can’t afford to spend their time in a stagnant position.

At this point, the potential candidate has the basic information to begin forming a decision. Emphasize that you just want them to take the next step (in-person interview with you and/or the client) rather than pressing for a final decision. Even if they agree to take the next step, there will be more objections to come. However, these later objections should be legitimate concerns rather than just a way to back out. Consider their objections carefully, probe for deeper meaning and understanding and work with the candidate to find a reasonable solution. And if you don’t know the answer, don’t be afraid to say so. The candidate will appreciate that you want to give them the right answer instead of a pat response. Happy hunting!  Thomas Cunniffe

Part of a recruiter’s job is to balance and satisfy the needs of two very different customers, the candidate and the client. To ensure that both customers get their necessary attention, it is a good idea to close your candidates before receiving the final offer from the client. Obviously, recruiters cannot predict the future, but they should have a fairly good idea of what a client can offer to a particular candidate. Consider that when you first meet the candidate, you know more about the client than the candidate. Since you want to close the candidate first, you need to know as much as you can about the candidate’s needs, wants and requirements for a new job.

As noted in an earlier edition of this blog, probing questions are the key to discovering your candidate’s hot buttons. One or two open-ended questions should be enough to get the candidate talking. Listen for particular requirements and desires that the candidate wants, and relate them to the job you’re offering. Be sure to show how the features of the job can become the benefits of the candidate. Take detailed notes as the candidate talks, and take special note of any issues that could become objections later on. Try to determine their current status in terms of their job search, and keep tabs on that status every time you talk to the candidate.

Your main goal is a commitment from the candidate. Naturally, you will have to provide some assurance that the new job will satisfy the candidate’s needs, but in return, you’ll want the candidate’s assurance that if those conditions are met, they will take the job. You may not get that commitment until after the candidate’s first interview with the client, but you should be able to get them excited about the position, so that the candidate comes into the client interview wanting to work for that company. Above all, don’t risk losing the commitment by exaggerating the job’s features. Assuming that the benefits outlined by the client match the description you gave the candidate, a commitment should be easy to obtain.

If the candidate is still hesitant, you should probe to find the reason(s) why they are reluctant. Use the notes from your first interview to revisit their wants and requirements. Overcome the objections they have and be prepared for any new objections they provide. And of course, the better you’ve probed at the beginning, the better prepared you’ll be for later objections. If you can successfully close the candidate at this juncture, the rest of the hiring procedure can go smoothly.  -Thomas Cunniffe

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One of the oldest Hollywood stories involves a young Method actor and a veteran director. The actor asks the director, “What is my motivation for this scene?” and the director replies, “Your paycheck.” While the veteran director may not agree, motivation is an important element in making life-changing decisions. Discovering a candidate’s motivation is also a key to successfully placing a candidate.

The entire concept of candidate control is rather controversial. Some advocate a frank attitude where the recruiter tells the candidate that they’ve already been paid, they don’t care whether or not the candidate takes the position! Others have realized that a pushy, arrogant attitude equates recruiters with used-car salesmen. These experts recommend a nuanced, soft-sell approach built on a strong foundation of trust and empathy. The latter approach uses one of the salesman’s best tools: the probing question.

As noted in earlier editions of this blog, candidates can have any number of reasons for changing positions. Chances are that they have created their own mental list of irritants in their current position, and it is your job as a recruiter to identify those problems and provide solutions. Further, they may also have a list of requirements that a new job must fulfill, or they will just stay put. By showing empathy, developing trust and asking questions that address potential issues, you have the best opportunity to create a strong relationship with the candidate.

People love to talk about themselves, and it’s important for the interviewer to let them do so! A good open-ended question can get the candidate talking, and if the interview listens intently to what the candidate has to say, they can learn multitudes about the candidate’s motivations and their needs. The answers should lead to more focused questions which should in turn lead to a targeted solution. It’s hard to tell just when you’ve found enough motivations to move forward, but if the candidate shows second thoughts during the overall process, it’s time to probe some more. Keep in mind that some candidates may have deeply hidden reasons for not accepting a position. In one case, an excellent candidate called the recruiter to pull out of a promising new position. It was only from close listening that the recruiter discerned that there was a previously undisclosed family situation that made the candidate uneasy about relocation. The client had been suitably impressed with the candidate and adjusted their offer upward to make the transition easier.

So, in the long run, candidate control is about helping your candidates make the best decision for their career path, rather than forcing them into a position by pressuring them with tired lines about impatient clients who won’t hesitate to hire someone else. While such situations do exist, the skilled recruiter will find the way to resolve any candidate objections without making the candidate feel like they are being pushed into a decision. – Thomas Cunniffe

In many ways, a job interview is like a college exam. The candidate comes in knowing to expect a number of different types of questions, but not knowing the exact questions or the way they will be presented. The candidate is under stress, because they know they must “pass” in order to move forward. The interviewer has the same task as the professor, writing and asking the questions in the most concise manner and finding the best way to present the questions to obtain the information they desire. Ideally, interviews should have the same structure as a test, with short answer or multiple choice questions up front when dealing with the job specifics, and an essay section where the candidate can expound on their knowledge using real-life situations from their past employment. The job interview equivalent to the essay question is the behavioral question.

Behavioral questions take the form of “tell me about a time when such-and-such happened and how you responded”. The answers can reveal how the candidate acts in specific situations. When creating behavioral questions, it’s important to ask about situations that can happen in any work environment, but are common with the available position. Candidates can come from a variety of workplace situations and an inappropriately phrased question may confuse the candidate and lead you in the wrong direction regarding their appropriateness for the job. It is always wise to have alternative (albeit similar) questions so that you can tailor the question to fit the candidate’s individual experiences. Also, be sure that you make the questions behavioral and not hypothetical. “Tell me about a time when you had an irate customer and how you resolved the issue” is much better than “We have our share of irate callers. How would you handle them?” The first version lets the candidate be specific about a particular situation; the second is so open-ended that is nearly useless (Why are they irate? Do we have a specific protocol to follow for these situations? How am I expected to answer this question?)

There is a well-known formula for the expected answers to behavioral questions, and it is alternately known as STAR or SAR. The acronym refers to “Situation—Task—Action—Response”. The formula is very useful for ensuring that all the important details are covered. Obviously, it would be ideal if the candidate were to answer following the exact steps of the model above, but there’s no need to insist on that formality. Listen carefully and take notes as the candidate tells their story and be prepared to ask for details if any aspects of the story are confusing. You can also tell about the candidate’s personality and communication skills in the way that they relate the story. A good communicator can be an excellent ambassador for your company. -Thomas Cunniffe

It is a scenario that repeats itself with unending regularity: You, the recruiter, have found the perfect candidate, the client makes a generous offer, and then the candidate informs you that he has received a counter-offer from his current employer. Consider what has actually happened: the current employer, realizing that one of their employees is on the verge of departing, has gone into panic mode, and they offer more money to “keep them onboard”. Well, even if you didn’t warn your perfect candidate of this possibility, there’s no reason for you to go into panic mode. Why? Simple. It’s not just about the money!

For whatever reason, the candidate agreed to talk to you and pursue a career change despite having a current position. So it follows that your candidate has a mental list of all the things at his current job that drive him crazy. Those reasons, usually unrelated to the financial rewards, will play a part in the candidate’s eventual decision. However, the promise of a large amount of money can cloud his judgment. So it’s important to remind your candidate that the extra dollars or change in title will not change the company’s faulty business model, improve the sagging office morale, eradicate the office politics nor rid him of annoying co-workers. In fact, those problems are likely to get worse if your candidate accepts the counter-offer.

Betrayal is one of the deepest ways we humans can hurt each other. It has a devastating effect on personal and work relationships. Regardless of intent, the employee who looks for another job is considered a betrayer. Betrayal breeds mistrust. Should the employee accept the counter-offer and stay with his current employer, he will be suspect any time he takes a day off. No matter how legitimate the reason or illness, the employer will assume that the employee is out looking for another job. Because the employee has “shown his cards”, he is likely to be passed over for promotions and more likely to be first on the chopping block when layoffs occur. Statistics show that most employees that accept a counter-offer end up leaving the company within three years, either through being laid off, or because the other aspects of the job made life at work unbearable, even with the extra money.

It is important to take great care in explaining these scenarios to your candidate. There is an inevitable risk that the candidate will feel trapped, or worse, sympathetic to their current employer. So use the sales technique of reinforcing the decision. Counter the scenarios of what could (and usually does) happen at the old job with the benefits of the new job. Certainly, there are the possibilities of new experiences and new co-workers with a new position, but use your knowledge of the new company to explain and reinforce the other benefits of the job (whatever they may be). Build your argument on the simple equation of old job vs. new job and leave yourself out of it. The only part that you can play is to convince the candidate that you have their best interests at heart, and that rejecting the counter-offer is the only wise move considering the aforementioned risks.  -Thomas Cunniffe

George Boole was a 19^th century English mathematician who created a logic system for algebra. Boolean logic is now best known in its online form, where it simplifies and groups internet search results. The web version has been around for years and most search engines have incorporated Boolean by default. For example, take the most basic Boolean command AND. According to Google, all words in a search are created equal—more on this in a moment—so the fact that you want all of the search words included in your results is assumed. NOT is a bigger problem for Google—it just ignores it. Instead, you must use the minus sign (-) in front of any word you want omitted: java –coffee. So, of the three basic Boolean, the only one that still works in its original form on Google searches is OR.  Type in java OR net programmer in the Google box and you’ll find people that have experience in either or both programs. [Note that Boolean operators must be entered in all capital letters; Google keeps its word search case-insensitive for precisely that reason.]

We’ve all had the experience of looking for a pair of words, and received results where the words are on opposite ends of the document. To focus the search, use the Boolean term NEAR. Google will only return pages where the two words are within 16 words of each other. AND NOT allows you to search for two words but not a third. This is the only instance where the use of AND is recommended: java AND programmer AND NOT net.

Quotation marks (“) have three related uses. The basic one is for terms that must be searched as phrases: “java programmer” to find those particular people. Google tries to make your life easier by finding synonyms for your search term. To disable the feature, simply place quotation marks around a single word, and Google will search for that word alone. To paraphrase Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, all words in a Google search are equal, but some are more equal than others. Those less-equal words are common articles and conjunctions such as and, the, and in. Those words can still be included in your search by enclosing them—or the phrase in which they appear—in quotation marks. The plus sign (+) was formerly used for this operation; Google will still let you use it, but will add a banner to your search results that tells you to use the quotation marks instead.

If you want to prioritize a particular search phrase, place it in parentheses and Google will search for it first. Just like in algebra, the parentheses denote a separate group, so when you use any other Boolean terms in a search, you must use the parenthesis to make your specific: (“java programmer” NOT net) NEAR California. Finally, if you’re looking for results within a particular website, use the Boolean term site: “java programmer” site: Deloitte.

All of these terms can be used in combinations to give you focused web search results. Happy hunting!  By Thomas Cunniffe

You’ve heard it since Day 1: “Referrals are golden!” Yet, most of us just blithely ask that generic question, “Do you know anyone else that’s looking” and the response is usually “Not off the top of my head”. Get that answer enough times and you’re likely to write off asking for referrals altogether.

But referrals ARE golden, provided that you ask for them in the right way. You may have called someone regarding a specific job, but doubtlessly, you have several hot jobs on your desk waiting to be filled. So, probe a little. Start with the basic “we’re always looking for good referrals; who do you know that might be interested in exploring this position?” If you get the “no one off the top of my head” answer, keep going! “We have some other opportunities here. Do you know anyone who works in the ________ business?” Now that you’re getting specific, you have a better chance of triggering memories of potential referrals. Don’t give up—you can run through several fields in a minute or so, and you don’t have to give job specifics unless the person you’re talking to says “Wait a minute! I think I could do that job!”

This method is particularly good with people in management and executive positions. Most of the time, they are excluded from the referral programs at their companies, so they don’t think about offering referrals unless someone has directly asked them about positions at their company. Once again, probing is the key to jogging the memory. There is no question that managers and executives have a large network of friends and colleagues. All you have to do is ask the right questions and you’ll tap into that network.

Once the names start flowing, let the referrer take the reigns. Ask them to e-mail or call the person that they’re referring, and tell them that you might have a position in their field. You can offer to send a generic e-mail template that the referrer can adapt into his own words. Call back the referrer in a few days to be sure that they contacted the referral, and then give the referral a few days to get back with you before trying to call them. People are more likely to try something new if they think it’s their idea. If someone calls you to ask about a position, you’ll have a better chance of success than if you’re just another recruiter calling from an unknown number. Remember, if they don’t answer the phone, they don’t know that you’re calling on a referral.

In short, taking time to ask about referrals, and then taking time to follow up can result in quality long-lasting relationships with potential candidates. Of course, your new referrals can refer their friends and colleagues to you. And a good reputation is as golden as a good referral. – Thomas Cunniffe

In his play and film “Six Degrees of Separation”, author John Guare advances the theory that every person on Earth is connected to every other person by a string of no more than six people. As one of the characters says “It’s a comforting thought; all you have to do is find the right six people.” Considering that 9.1% of the American population is unemployed, chances are quite good that most of the people you know have friends that are highly active in the job market. Social media can truly help hiring managers find the right candidates.

The first part of developing a presence on social media is the basics. Don’t overlook them, or you risk weakening the foundation of your structure! You might be signed up for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, but have you investigated the powers of each platform? Facebook and LinkedIn are best for finding potential candidates, so be sure that your profiles have links, video, photos, and plenty of searchable keywords. Many companies advertise their new openings on Twitter, but you can also do that on the other platforms, and you should announce job vacancies through the personal social networks of you and your employees.  If your company is large enough, you might have an employee that works exclusively in social media. And to protect yourself, have your legal department draw up an agreement regarding intellectual property and social media.

If you haven’t created a career website for your company, consider doing so. A link to a career site is much more inviting than a corporate site. A career site should include blogs, job postings, and biographies of the recruiters. The blog should be the first thing a visitor sees. It should offer an overview of life within the company, and it should be inviting, not stuffy. This should lead them to the job openings and finally, to the recruiters. Each recruiter’s page should include detailed contact information—not just e-mail, phone and fax, but all social media accounts and interactive chat. All of the content from your social media pages can be integrated into your career site, so that candidates are not jumping between pages.

Social Media has made “Six Degrees of Separation” much more than the theory of a fictional work; it is now a reality and it is vitally important that every hiring manager uses the resources of social media to find their new employees.  -Thomas Cunniffe